According to research studies and historical evidence, Damascus was first inhabited in the second half of the seventh millennia B.C. It is the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world, and is a prominent cultural centre of the Arab world.

The title of the oldest continuously inhabited city is hotly debated among historians and archaeologists, but Damascus, Syria, and Jericho, West Bank, are the two primary contenders. Jericho has evidence of settlement dating back to 9,000 BCE, but there are debates about whether it was "continuously" inhabited throughout every era. Damascus is often cited as the oldest capital city, with evidence of habitation dating back to at least 6,300 BCE, though some excavations suggest people have lived there since the 8th millennium BCE. Other notable ancient cities include Byblos, Lebanon (settled around 5,000 BCE) and Aleppo, Syria. These cities have survived the rise and fall of countless empires—from the Romans and Byzantines to the Ottomans—maintaining their status as living, breathing urban centers. The difficulty in crowning a single winner lies in defining "city" versus "settlement" and verifying archaeological layers that prove people never fully abandoned the site during times of war or environmental collapse.